People always told me two things: One, you meet the right person when you’re not looking for them.  Two, when you meet the person you are going to marry, you just know.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered all those people were right the day I met you.

It’s hard for me to explain what it is about our relationship that I like most… because it’s about a feeling more than words, it’s an overall sense of content and ease that I have felt from the beginning.  While this might not be the most romantic sentiment in the world, it is the foundation which we have built our love, friendship, and the beginning of our future together.

As we get closer to the big day and everything is falling into place, I am excited to have a celebration that is so ‘us’.  I look forward to becoming a McGuire as we continue our lives together.

“What is important is not how a couple looks at each other, but how they look towards their future together” – Anonymous

..and the light continued to get better and better

Again, a artsy shot we love of the two of you

Common Questions:

What do we wear?
We’ve had brides bring a portion of their entire wardrobe to the shoot, saying, “What should I wear?”  We giggle because we love fashion.  Don’t fear! Bringing your wardrobe is not necessary after you read this post!  Most commonly, our couples bring two outfits each: one casual, comfortable, everyday outfit that they feel really good in and represents them as a couple, and one dressed up look – something stylin’ that you would wear out for a special occasion date or a friend’s wedding.  Bold colors always pop on camera and add to the mood of the day.  The most important thing is that you’re confident in your look and feel it’s a good representation of your personality.

Do we shoot at more than one location?
Yes!  A typical engagement session includes two location spots fairly close by.  A lot of our couples are outdoor-lovers, so they may choose to do one natural spot and one more urban location.  We’ll communicate with you ahead of time to best understand special locations of your relationship, locations we want to shoot and recommend, or locations that connect with you both.  When traveling outside of Bend (which we love), we may reach out to you a bit more for special locations in your area.  From there, it’s all about the light, texture and background.

How long is the engagement session?
A typical engagement session is 1-2 hours.  If we’re traveling to your location and meeting face-to-face for the first time, we like to grab a cup of coffee or connect a bit prior to shooting, so plan on 2.5 to 3 hours.

When can I see the engagement pics?
After the shoot is completed, the next question is…when can we see them?  We like to post our favorites (top 10-20 images) on the blog typically within a week of the shoot; the full gallery is available 1-2 weeks after that.  Recently, for our brave brides, we’ve been including with the engagement session post a love letter from bride to groom (or vice versa) as a part of our letter series.  If you’re interested in participating, it adds such a special touch and often surprise to your fiancé.

More questions?  Please post in comments below!

…and because posts are always better with a pic, here’s a teaser of the recent engagement session of Heather + Phillip.  More to come, stay tuned!

I think we have lived the last 5 years in dog years…

When me met we had no intentions of settling down. A more than rowdy 21 yr old guy and a bitter girl who gagged at the thought of having another kid or being married! As our wedding day approaches I can’t help remembering how different things were. Look at us now with our kids, dogs, bills and more LOVE than either of us imagined was possible!

Mike, We have seen through some dark days. I was so worried that things could never be good again. Since you made the decision to stop drinking 2 yrs ago you have made all my dreams (even the ones I didn’t know I had) come true. You are the roots of our family tree and you nourish and protect us all. I admire your dedication to provide for your family in every way . You accept me for all my “quirks” and I know it’s not easy. Thank you for giving me the privilege of being home for our kids, it means more to me than I ever expected! Well babe, I can’t wait to be your ol ball-n-chain! Here’s to you Poppa… World’s best dad, friend, husband, lover and the perfect man to be my anchor so I can keep my head in the clouds.

All my luv forever,  T

–

Tana + Mike,

You’re passionate, fearless and fun – a dynamic combination that shined through in these images and why we enjoy getting to know you both!  Thank you so much for taking the afternoon to ‘play’ with us in downtown Seattle at Pike’s Place Market, thank you for being open to trying all our ideas and thank you, thank you for wearing your red fishnets!  Yeah, baby!

Can’t wait to see what you’ll brew up for your ’80′s themed’ wedding!

B + W

Wow, okay – this has everything: it’s iconic, relaxed, sexy, fun…love it!

A special, silent moment among the mayhem of Pike’s Place.  Funny, we even got the pigeon

Gorgeous Tana!

One of our favs – adorable

Only you two can pull this off – sweet and sexy.

Get a room you two… he he.

Definitely…ummm, see above.

Tana + Mike, thank you for being fearless.

This was a pre-wedding dance dip.  A warm-up really

Love the light on your hair here Tana!  This is the famous ‘gum wall’ under Pike’s Place.  We’re talking 60 years of gum here people…

King Kong coming ‘acha

Look at that glam smile – Mike, you’re a lucky man.

Here’s one of the first frames, kickin’ back having some fun!

I want to express to you how much I love you and am over the top excited to marry you! We have been together for a long time, but I still feel the great anticipation of this big step. It means a lot to me that we are ready to make these personal commitments and vows to one another, and to enter into this partnership for the rest of our lives. Our time together over these past five years have been the most fun, passionate, and life changing for me and it is all because you.

Since meeting you in class all those years ago, you have been an amazing teacher and friend. You are such a wonderful person, kind, patient, and understanding. I am such a lucky woman to have your love and respect. Meeting you has started one of the best adventures of my life and I can’t wait to grow with you and learn from you for the rest of my life.

There are so many reasons why I love you and want to be your wife, I couldn’t possibly list them all. I am so honored that you want me to be your partner in life; to be that person you choose to hike with, to camp with, to snowboard with, to play cribbage with, and someday to raise children with. August 28th will mark the beginning of our new adventure together, and I can’t wait!

Love, Katie

—

Katie + Brian,

May you revel in each other for all the days to come and remember this moment of joy and playfulness.  I know ‘adventure’ is your middle name, so here’s to the grand adventure that lay ahead!  We’re so thrilled to share in your upcoming wedding!

P.S.  We finally got the tree sap out of Byron’s shirt from this tree-climbing session – he he.

All the best,

B + W

That’s what we call magic clouds

Love this one and the candid, super sweet moment.

Don’t tell anyone the secret location of the rope swing, okay!

This is a favorite

We couldn’t help but post this fun pic Katie.  Byron was shooting from a tree limb here

This was a ‘give me some attitude’ look – Vogue style!

Love the texture of the metal here and we’re always fans of sweet kisses

Importance
We love engagement sessions for so many reasons – so much so that we include them in every collection we offer.  Why, you ask?  For us, it provides a relaxed setting to get to know you, your story and the moments you want to keep on your wedding day.  It’s a way to connect with you – our clients – and make you feel comfortable being behind the lens while having a little fun!  When you’re relaxed and having fun, we can capture the BEST smiles!

Spotlight
Zoom forward to your wedding day, now that you’ve seen our work and we’ve connect with the camera in the middle, you never have to worry about us getting those special wedding images.  Most won’t tell you this but we as photographers spend the most amount of time with you on your wedding day, as much or sometimes more than your family – really!  Spending most of your waking moments on one of the most important days of your life with someone unknown, well it’s kinda weird.  So, the engagement session brings that essential level of comfort to you on your day.

Incorporation
We also often have clients purchase a slide show of some of the favorites from the engagement shoot to incorporate into the wedding or prints for the guest book or invitations, images for their Facebook or wedding websites – these are some of the great ways of utilizing your engagement shoot as a prelude to the wedding.  A DVD of all engagement images from the session can also be purchased separately (although both engagement and wedding image DVDs are available in our high end collection).

Overall, the goal for the engagement photography session is for us to get to know you, have a little fun, and take a moment of your lives to celebrate the start of your marriage.  Let the stress of everything else in life shed away and take 2 hours just for the two of you to be together.

Here’s a few samples of  engagement sessions that capture that moment.

UPDATE: Engagement Session Basics: Part 2 (Wardrobe, Locations, Timing, Proofs, etc.)

David is in the Coast Guard and had private access to the lighthouse, a special place for them as it was the location of their first date!  Emily and David have a natural, easy love for each other that came out on camera with little to no prompting.  We have so much respect for couples that don’t mind being gooey behind the camera, showing us their love, right after our first face-to-face meeting

Emily and David, thank you for this special opportunity.  It was a slice in time for you both to just ‘be’ (away from the stress of the world) and we were so grateful to join you in that moment.  The casual comment at the end, “I feel like we’ve known you for years” is the greatest compliment.

Enjoy these and we look forward to seeing you again next month at McMenamins for your BIG day!

Best,

B + W

Dancing under the Palace

This was the kind of bridge that’s a hundred feet up off the water and wobbles when you walk over it.

The most of tender moments.

The Palace in all it’s fine glory.  It reminded us of being in Europe (in Rome particularly!).  Emily, you’re striking!

David’s sayin “Hey, cutie?  What’s your…name?”   Just kidding!  Love how relaxed you are here and the bodacious reflection!

That’s a keeper

Okay, this is a postcard shot.  Just beautiful and the light here was getting better and better!

Before the lighthouse, there was this tunnel.  I totally felt like we were in that movie The Goonies!)

Love this unusual shot through the lighthouse prism.

Emily, you’re so cute in the shot!  Adorable. – Wendy

This makes our all-time favorites list.  Love David’s eyes in the shot and Emily, your expression!

This is why we had such a hard time choosing favorites for this post!  Beautiful!

Literally, the last frame of the evening.  Stunning.

While I am rarely at a loss for words, I struggle to articulate how excited I am to marry you.  We have both said that we know our life together is going to be amazing and so much fun and now we get to put it into action.  We make such an incredible team together, you are the perfect balance to me and I feel honored that you want me in your life forever.

When we first met, I was skeptical of meeting someone online.  But something about you drew me in even before I ever heard your voice.  Your eyes were kind and I could hear your sense of humor come through your typed words.  And everyday since we’ve met, you look at me with such sincerity and care, it makes me feel as though I am the only one in the room.  And while our first date was “interesting” to say the least, you had me laughing so hard my sides ached.  Those two traits kept me coming back for more….and more I will get!

So here is to a lifetime of raising our crazy pack of dogs, the never-ending list of home improvement projects, skiing, camping, our Sunday trips to the grocery store and planning for our next international adventure.  Whatever life holds for us, I want to do all of these things with you.  You are my best friend and I am so honored to have you in my life…

Love, Jen

Okay, we’re just going to start with a smokin’ hot one first.

‘You turn me right round baby right round, like a record baby, right round round round.’

A dainty, sweet moment

Jenni, I’m going to tell you one more time how much you rock those boots.

Fisheye love.

One of my all-time-f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e-s.

Ohhhh, classic shot of Ian.

That’s a keeper….

Here’s the second smokin’ hot one.  Get a room you two!  he he…

Pure bliss   Yum.

Love the vanishing lines here – this is classic urban chic.  You’re rockin’ it!

Thank you, to this particular graffiti artist who made my day.   Oh yeah, saved the best for last Jenni.

Three years ago this month you came into my life. I knew what I was looking for in a man, but really didn’t think I would find all those traits in one person. You must have made an impact on me during that first date because as you know, I was sitting there looking across the table at you and thought “this guy would make a great husband.” And you will.

Our time together so far has meant more to me than you could possibly know. You have shown me what it means to take risks and to follow my dreams. You have helped me grow into the woman I always knew I could be. For that I will be forever thankful.

July 3rd , our wedding day, will be the most special day of my life. I am so excited for you to be my husband and to be your wife. The future holds so many exciting things for us and I know we will embrace each one and have the life we have both always dreamed of having…… with each other.

I love you with everything I have and always will….

Meredith

Classic beauty.

Okay, this wins the most adorable award.

Thanks to the Kennedy School to providing this most FANTASTIC background.

This just embodies pure bliss you two.  We love the light on your face and shirt here Meredith!

With winds at sustained 30 mph on the Columbia River, we had to get a ‘Titanic’ inspired shot

…and this is for your refrigerator!  Such beautiful smiles.

Meredith and Joe, this is for you to remember sometimes cheesy just works

Here’s a sneak peek of two of our favorites from each shoot (more to come this week!) and of course, some of us goofing around in a sea of blooming cherry blossoms right off 23^rd avenue.  We hear you…and are going to be proactively posting more photos of the two of us.  Stay tuned for more of Meredith + Joe and Jenni + Ian…

We love this funky, one-of-a-kind shot   Meredith + Joe, you guys are too cute.

On the Columbia River in a brief moment of wind stall.  A shot of simple romance…

Jenni + Ian in their funky, one-of-a-kind shot!  Jenni, you’re fearless…

Love, love, love this   Blow kisses anyone?  Portland has the most fantastic urban settings…

Wendy is so classic – what a cutie

Fun with the bloooooming cherry blossoms!

My ‘give me some attitude’ look (a well used saying for all clients).

And of course, myself in true form. 

They were both great sports since a wedding was going on a the same time as their shoot!  We got to explore some new areas in a familiar location and had some fun near the cigar bar and pool table   Karen and Greg, thanks so much for the opportunity to work with you both, you are the epitome of a relaxed, sophisticated couple.  We are so excited to travel to Florida, spend time with your kids, family, and friends and capture your sunset wedding here in about a month!  Cheers and congratulations to you both…

Byron and Wendy

They look so relaxed

Okay, this is one of our favs – love your hat and glasses Karen!

I can’t get out of my head that you’re about ready to enter a snazzy Jazz bar.

Okay, so I never really noticed this hot Juke box until now!

A great headshot, Greg!  And we got a smile outta you after all

The famous red couch….